The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: NOLA Ken
Date: 2022-06-20 20:36
(his is a two decades old thread, originally about Leblanc alto clarinets which are pretty clearly problematic.)
I've ordered some Bari synthetic reeds to try on mine, although I don't see much love for them on this bulletin board. I used a 1.5 Fibracell alto sax reed on a Fobes San Francisco mpc for my own enjoyment at home because it has a more sax-like sound and great projection. It also worked very well when I was filling in on a low bassoon part in community band. But crossing the break is a bit challenging with that setup. I've recently discoverd that the 1.5 Legere American Cut alto sax reed on a Vandoren B44 mpc and a François Louis Pure Brass ligature produces a very nice clarinet sound for me and smooths crossing the break quite a bit on the Leblanc alto. It doesn't have quite the projection of the Fibracell/Fobes setup in the bottom range, but it's a useful tradeoff for some pieces. I did discover, however, that I had to to replace the swan neck with one of Jared De Leon's tunable wood composite traditional-style necks because the Vandoren mpc plays significantly sharp compared to the Fobes. I would say that the lack of a tunable neck on the Leblanc swan neck alto is one of its major drawbacks and maybe a source of their mouthpiece finickyness.
Mark Wolbers of the U of Alaska did a paper in 2011 on alto clarinets as an endangered species in which he describes among other things the rehabilitation of a Leblanc alto, its strong points, and the construction of a tunable metal neck for it. It can be accessed at:
https://docslib.org/doc/3362747/alto-clarinet-the-endangered-species-of-the-american-band-mark-wolbers-university-of-alaska-anchorage-cbdna-2011-national-conference
I'd love to try a Noblet alto sometime. They do sound easier to work with than the Leblancs. but I've promised myself to not buy any more instruments. (At least not for awhile -chuckle.)
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C. Hogue |
2001-07-31 20:27 |
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C. Hogue |
2001-07-31 20:29 |
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David Spiegelthal |
2001-07-31 20:36 |
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Robert Small |
2001-07-31 20:53 |
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super20dan |
2022-06-04 06:08 |
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Robert Small |
2001-07-31 21:01 |
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David Pegel |
2001-08-01 00:57 |
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Robert Small |
2001-08-01 01:41 |
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David Spiegelthal |
2001-08-01 15:31 |
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Robert Small |
2001-08-01 17:38 |
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Robert |
2001-08-09 03:49 |
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Ursa |
2022-06-04 21:45 |
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super20dan |
2022-06-05 02:42 |
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NOLA Ken |
2022-06-05 17:56 |
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super20dan |
2022-06-06 03:45 |
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NOLA Ken |
2022-06-20 20:36 |
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super20dan |
2022-06-20 22:06 |
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